COLUMBUS, Ohio — In a rare and emotionally charged response to heightened fears of deportation amid a surge in federal immigration enforcement, the bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus has granted a temporary waiver excusing parishioners from the obligation to attend Mass if they reasonably fear being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Bishop Earl K. Fernandes issued the dispensation in a decree and accompanying pastoral letter dated Dec. 23, citing an “increase in immigration enforcement in the Diocese of Columbus, causing a rise in fear and feelings of anxiety among our immigrant communities.”
The move comes as ICE has ramped up operations in central Ohio, with confirmed arrests and sightings of agents prompting widespread alarm, including reports of families torn apart and individuals facing sudden separation during the holiday season…